Give it a Grow this Compost Awareness Week!

‘Give it a Grow’ is the message being put out to mark the tenth annual Compost Awareness Week, which runs from 2 – 8 May.

This year, the Recycle Now campaign and Merseyside Waste Partnership are encouraging us all to try our hand at new composting activities in order to do our bit for the environment.

Although around 30 percent of us already compost at home, there are lots more things we can all try. For example, around 60 percent of people say they have never tried composting general household waste, such as scrunched up paper or the contents from a vacuum cleaner, and around 50 percent of people have never tried using peat-free compost.

Carl Beer, Director at Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority, said: “This Compost Awareness Week we are encouraging everyone to give composting a go. Even those of us who are already composting at home could compost more things more often, or try new things, such as greener, peat free composts. However you choose to get involved, there are plenty of new things you can try, which will not only help the environment but also help your garden grow greener.”

Here are just some of the things we could all try this Compost Awareness Week:

New to composting? Why not give composting a go. Anyone with outside space can compost at home. To buy a compost bin, try your local garden centre or DIY store.

Already a compost champion? Think about additional things you could compost, such as eggs shells, tea bags or even coffee grounds and filter paper. Check the list of compostable items at www.recyclenow.com/compost.

Don’t know what to do with your compost? Try using your homemade compost to enrich your borders or to give your potted plants and containers an extra boost

Ever tried peat-free compost? It’s made from recycled materials – and that’s good news for the environment because it helps to cut down the amount of organic waste that is sent to landfill

Fancy being a wormery wonder? Wormeries are ideal for people who don’t produce garden waste or have limited outside space. Small amounts of garden waste can go into a wormery, together with some cooked food scraps.

There is often a belief that waste such as vegetable peelings or garden waste is harmless, but in a landfill tip they cause powerful greenhouse gases to be released into the atmosphere. Home composting is a simple alternative that anyone can manage if they have a garden or allotment – or even a patio or outside space.

What’s more, many of us are unaware of the environmental benefits of using peat free compost. 51 percent of us have never used it, and 24 percent say they are not aware of it, despite the fact that it can also make a significant environmental saving. [2] It can take anywhere between 500 to 1,000 years to replace every one metre layer of peat extracted in the UK, putting at risk wildlife such as birds, dragonflies and butterflies that depend on its natural habitat for survival [3].

All of Merseyside’s Household Waste Recycling Centres also offer containers for residents to deposit their green and garden waste. This waste (such as grass cuttings, bushes and tree branches) is then taken to local processors where it is composted in open windrows. The resulting compost is finally sold on.

For more information about Compost Awareness Week and to check what events are happening in your area, visit www.recyclenow.com/compost.

YouTube Chosen To Host Waste Story

Merseyside residents can learn the ins and outs of waste disposal by logging on to You Tube to see what happens to their rubbish.

Five new short films have been produced by Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority to reveal everything from monitoring gas levels at former landfill sites to processes used at a Wirral Materials Recovery Facility.

The films are part of an education drive by the Authority and focus on key elements of waste management in the region, explaining how various parts of the industry work.

They can be viewed on the MWDA website and on YouTube and all showcase what goes on at Merseyside’s Household Waste Recycling Centres, its Materials Recovery Facility in Bidston and its Waste Transfer Stations. The Authority’s work in monitoring gas and water at former landfill sites is also covered in the clips.

The five ‘shorts’ follow on from an educational waste film released by MWDA last year, which showed the journey of waste from kerbside through recycling and then final reprocessing.

Carl Beer, Director of Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority, said: “We had some very positive feedback following the release of our film last year, so we’re glad to follow it up with these. They’re a bit more technical and feature a bit more detail than the last one did. The target age range is more specific as we’re aiming at secondary schools, colleges and university students. However, as they’re on our website and YouTube, they are accessible to everyone.”

The original film – called Get It Sorted – was released last November and has so far been distributed to and watched by approximately 2000 people, forming part of an information and education resource.

Like the previous film, the new shorts have been produced in conjunction with Liverpool media company Red Hot Media and have been narrated by local teenage actors Anneka Desai and Jack Mulhanney.

Richard Wallace of Red Hot commented: “To get the chance to work with Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority on another project has been a real privilege. These films will most definitely educate and inform viewers and with the input of the two fantastic presenters will certainly entertain.”

In order to claim a bag, residents will have to drop off a load of green and garden waste at either Recycling Centre, where they’ll receive a stamped voucher. If they drop off another load of green waste throughout August then they can get their voucher stamped a second time and will be entitled to the free bag which can be taken there and then.

The scheme is being organised by Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority (MWDA) and Veolia Environmental Services.

The giveaway promotion will run throughout August at Kirkby and Otterspool Recycling Centres, before moving on to Formby and Southport in September.

The scheme has already run successfully at Newton-le-Willows and West Kirby Recycling Centres during July, where around 500 bags have been given away.

Carl Beer, Director of MWDA, said: “We ran a giveaway scheme a few years ago and it was very popular – in fact we shifted around 20,000 bags. And our regular compost giveaways are always enthusiastically received by the public, so we know there is an appetite for recycling habits to be rewarded.”

Bag supplies are limited so will be issued on a first-come-first-served basis and while stocks last.

Alex Paterson, Director of Veolia Environmental Services, said: “The green bag giveaway has been successful in recent years across Merseyside – 20,000 bags distributed previously tells its own story. We look forward to supporting MWDA with the launch of the scheme in the coming weeks and also hearing the positive responses from our site users.”

Your Views Needed On Our Recyling Centres

Merseyside and Halton residents visiting the region’s Household Waste Recycling Centres later this month will get a chance to take part in one of the biggest recycling surveys of its kind ever carried out in the region.

Householders visiting the 16 sites, operated on behalf of Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority (MWDA) by Veolia Environmental Services, will be asked their opinions of the services on offer, and what they do and don’t like about the Centres. The survey will take place during the weekends of 20 -21st and 27th- 28th March 2010.

Alex Paterson, General Manager for Veolia Environmental Services Merseyside and Halton said: “This survey is key to our strategy in understanding the needs and perceptions of our site users. This is something we want to do annually so we can gather valuable data to make changes for the benefit of our site users and boost recycling rates across Merseyside and Halton.”

MWDA Director Carl Beer said: “The survey is an invaluable opportunity to find out what people really think about the services they’re getting when they turn up at the Household Waste Recycling Centres and how they can be improved.

“It is also a great chance for us as a waste authority, and for Veolia who operate the sites on our behalf, to get a better understanding of how our customers are using our Centres.”

People visiting the Centres over the two weekends will be asked to take part in brief one-to-one interviews to complete a series of questions about their experience and use of the HWRCs. The customer satisfaction survey is being conducted on behalf of MWDA in partnership with Veolia Environmental Services, the contractor which runs the sites.

Residents who use the Centres but have no plans to visit during the two weekends can still take part in the survey by logging on to www.merseysidewda.gov.uk from 20th March until 12th April 2010 and complete a survey online, or can log-on and complete one via their own Council’s website.

MWDA Chairperson Councillor Kevin Cluskey said: “The more people who take part, the more accurate a picture we can get of improvements and other changes needed to provide the best possible service to householders across Merseyside and Halton.”

(ii) Veolia Environmental Services have engaged Priority Research Ltd to undertake the research and interviews and a full report will be produced with analysis of responses. This information will then be utilised by Veolia and MWDA to improve HWRC services and customer experience at the Centres.

(iii) Priority Research Ltd will conduct all interviews in accordance with the Market Research Society Code of Conduct and all information will be collected, stored and used in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

Ã‚Â£1.5m Recycling boost unveiled to Kirkby residents

Proposals to create a new £1.5M Household Waste Recycling Centre in Kirkby will be unveiled to local residents and businesses this week [18th June 2009].

The new Kirkby Household Waste Recycling Centre will be created on a vacant site (size 0.8 hectares or 2 acres) at the northern end of Knowsley Industrial Estate. The new site is approximately 300 metres from the existing facility, which it replaces.

The new Centre will increase recycling by providing more modern facilities including the capacity to receive 15,000 tonnes of householders’ waste a year, easier disposal of recyclables and more queuing space on site to cope with peak demand and avoid queuing on the highway.

Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority (MWDA) is this week launching a major consultation exercise to make sure more than 6,300 businesses and residents living close to the proposed facility receive all the details.

As well as newsletters and community meetings, special public engagement days will be held on Thursday 2nd July 2009 (11.30 am – 5.30 am) and Friday 3rd July 2009 (11.00 am – 7.00 pm) at Kirkby Fire Station, Webster Drive, Kirkby, Knowsley, L32 8SJ, as part of overall efforts designed to exceed consultation requirements set by Knowsley MBC.

MWDA Director, Carl Beer, said: “This is a major investment in the area and recycling on Merseyside. It will be an asset for the people of Knowsley and it is vital that everyone living and working nearby has accurate information about the proposal. That’s why we are going to such lengths to get in touch with them.”

MWDA chair Councillor Kevin Cluskey said: “This is great news and will really add to the increasing array of facilities we need to put the region at the top of recycling tables.”

The Waste Disposal Authority will submit a full planning application later in the summer once initial consultation is complete and, subject to planning permission, the new site will be up and running by the end of 2010.

MWDA’s new contractor Veolia Environmental Services will operate the site following application to the Environment Agency for an Environmental Permit.

1. MWDA is a local government body consisting of nine elected Members, representing the five constituent district councils in the Merseyside area. MWDA is also working with Halton Borough Council to provide new recycling and waste facilities. MWDA is responsible for organising and managing the disposal of waste collected by the five District Councils of Merseyside and for managing the 14 HWRCs across Merseyside. See more at www.merseysidewda.gov.uk

2. Merseyside produces over 800,000 tonnes of household waste every year – of which only about a quarter is recycled (estimated at 33% in years ending 2008/09). Around 70% of the region’s waste is sent to landfill, and tough EU and government targets are designed to reduce this figure, with landfill tax currently at a rate of £40 per tonne rising by £8 per year to 2013.

PICTURE CAPTION

The attached picture is a computer-generated image of proposed new household waste recycling centre.

£5K Grants on offer for green community projects

Local recycling groups are being encouraged to bid for grant funding under a scheme launched by waste officers next week (10th August 2009).

The fund has been made available by Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority (MWDA) to encourage and support community and non-for-profit organisations to get involved in small, local projects that can help improve the environment. Grants of up to £5,000 are available.

Applications forms are available from www.merseysidewda.gov.uk or by calling 0151 255 1444.

Carl Beer, Director of MWDA, said: “This funding scheme has been running for a couple of years now and we always attract some fantastic ideas and applications in – its great to see there are many people and groups out there who are involved in making the environment a better place for us all.”

The funding is part of MWDA’s Waste Awareness and Education Programme for Community Groups on Merseyside.

Successful projects must aim to reduce the amount of waste generated and sent to landfill; increase the re-use of materials; increase recycling or address carbon benefits.

This funding is for new projects that have not been supported by the Authority in previous years.

You can apply for an award under the Project Fund for Community Organisations 2009/10 if you are a:

Community or voluntary organisation • Small to medium sized enterprise; • Not for profit organisation • Charity • Parish or town council • Youth group or • Uniformed organisation. Previous projects supported by the fund include equipment for testing re-used electrical items; community art projects using recycled materials and Community events that raise awareness to sustainable waste management issues. Priority will be given to applications demonstrating new and innovative approaches to sustainable waste related projects.

Councillor Kevin Cluskey, Chairperson of MWDA, said: “If a group has an idea which they think can reduce waste or improve how we handle waste products then we would encourage them to apply for funding.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

1. Organisations wishing to apply to the MWDA Community Fund, should contact: Waste Project Fund, Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority, 6th Floor North House, 17 North John Street, Liverpool, L2 5QY, Tel: 0151 255 1444, or email enquiries@merseysidewda.gov.uk. Application forms are also available to download on www.merseysidewda.gov.uk.

Applications are only accepted via the application form provided by MWDA and will be subject to evaluation by MWDA. Completed applications must be returned to MWDA by Friday 25th September 2009.

2. Successful applicants will:

• Have a recognised legal and constitutional status. Compliance (by organisations that hold charitable status) with the accounting framework for charities and appropriate guidance for the Charity Commission • Be financially viable; and • Have clear management structures which adhere to recognised principles

Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority (MWDA) – which provides the Recycling Centres for local residents – now requires that gypsum waste such as plaster and plasterboard has to be separated so it can be recycled.

Previously, gypsum waste was deposited along with general rubble and processed for beneficial use in land reclamation, but following a change in Landfill Regulations such waste must now be managed separately. Recent research by the Environment Agency has identified that treating gypsum with other biodegradable waste can lead to the production of odorous and toxic hydrogen sulphide gas.

The seven Recycling Centres will provide new containers and the waste will then be sent to a local processor and recycled for use in the cement industry.

Carl Beer, Director of MWDA, said: “We support the move by the Environment Agency to separate out this waste for recycling and recovery and we’re happy to follow their lead. It’s important that this waste is handled properly and we prevent potentially harmful substances from being generated further down the line.”

Local householders will be able to recycle plaster and plasterboard at the following Recycling Centres only:

Such waste will not be accepted at any other Household Waste Recycling Centres.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

MWDA is a local government body with nine elected members from the five constituent councils in Merseyside. It organises and manages disposal of all waste collected by the five councils and operates 14 Household Waste Recycling Facilities (Recycling Centres that accept gypsum waste are in bold):

Community Fund Awarded For Waste Initiatives

The projects range from local composting initiatives and a paint re-use scheme, to purchasing recycled (or sustainable) materials for a major arts display.

Carl Beer, Director of MWDA, said: “There was a great response to the Fund and we received a wide variety of initiatives, ideas and imaginative projects. We were very happy with the calibre of applicant and will be working closely with all the successful schemes to make sure they have as big an impact as possible.”

The funding is MWDA’s Waste Project Fund for Community Organisations 2007/08. The scheme was launched in December last year and under the guidelines a project must:

– Encourage sustainable waste management e.g.: o review/reduce carbon footprint; o mitigate against climate change, and/or o aid tonnage diversion or raise awareness on waste prevention. – benefit the local community and Merseyside – make a lasting improvement to the local community and neighbourhood and have the support of local people.

Cllr Kevin Cluskey, Chairman of MWDA, said: “All of these schemes can make a real impression. What shone through on the applications was the enthusiasm and commitment to make a positive change to the environment and an awareness of what is happening to the world around us.

“MWDA will now work with the successful applicants and hopefully we will see not only a reduction in the amount of waste being produced in the region, but also a change in attitude towards waste and sustainability.”

Project details:

Bootle Allotment Ltd – the Bootle Garden Allotments on Dunnings Bridge Road has received funding to construct a compost and recycling green-waste bay. Leaves, grass and other cuttings will be put in the bay to be composted, and then will be used on the allotment as green manure.

Halewood Arts Association – working with the local Junior Artists Club, the Halewood Arts Association will create a mosaic from sustainable materials and items. The design will be based on issues of recycling and climate and then displayed in a public park.

Harthill Allotment Association – the funding will be used to purchase a rotating composter which will reuse vegetable matter and sawdust. By recycling nutrients back into the soil it will reduce the demand by allotment holders for commercial compost, mulch, soil conditioners and fertilisers.

The Moss Lodge Community Restorative Justice Environmental Centre – this former haulage yard in St Helens has been transformed into a community environmental centre. The funding received is for purchasing compost bins which will help to compost flowers and tributes from local cemeteries and crematoriums. The compost will be used to improve the soil at the site, to allow plant and shrub growth.

Meadow/The National Wildflower Centre – Meadow is an award-winning project which has been working with schools and communities to raise awareness of plastic recycling since 2005. The MWDA funding will be used for part of a larger project, namely a series of workshops and events to promote a film about recycling.

Rotters Community Composters – a locally run not-for-profit community based organisation. The grant will go towards an education project which aims to raise young people’s awareness and involvement in waste and recycling issues. Rotters will help schools to introduce composting schemes by providing teaching resources, workshops, support and guidance, free or subsidised composting equipment and an organic waste collection service.

Urban Strawberry Lunch: Lunch at St Luke’s – this ongoing project aims to rescue the disused space of St Luke’s church in Liverpool city centre to provide an original, practical and welcoming community meeting place. Cleaned up and opened in May 2007, the funding will be used to carry out further renovation work at the former church.

Wirral LA21 Community Repaint – a non-profit group who are involved in collecting leftover paint and distributing it onto local charities, voluntary organisations and community groups for redecoration projects. It is estimated that over 80 million litres of paint is left unused in the UK every year. The funding will be used to further promote and expand the service.

Compost Awareness Week 2008

As residents in Merseyside and Halton get their gardens prepared for spring, local recycling officers today announced a series of compost activities and a special competition to promote the benefits of home composting.

To celebrate Compost Awareness Week 2008 (4th-10th May), Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority (MWDA) and the five Merseyside District Councils have organised a series of events in order to help tackle the amount of reusable waste that is currently going to landfill.

Also, any resident of Merseyside and Halton who buys a compost bin between 4th and 10th May has the chance to win £50 of garden centre vouchers to spend on their garden.

Carl Beer, Director of MWDA, said: “Merseyside is involved in a range of regular compost initiatives. Last year we joined the national Recycle Now Compost at Home scheme to offer cut-price compost bins to local residents and last autumn almost 2,000 people turned up to similar compost events across Merseyside.”

Over 9,000 home compost bins have been purchased by local residents in the scheme which began last year. Upcoming activities are as follows:

Location: Otterspool Promenade (the viewing platform off Riverside Drive near the Britannia pub).

There will be ten tonnes of loose compost so residents are asked to bring along their own bags and shovels.

Date: Sunday 4th May Time: 10.00am – 2.00pm

Location: Belle Vale Park (near the Millennium Centre).

Bagged compost will be available free to residents.

Sefton

Date: Sunday 4th May Time: 1.00pm – 3.00pm

Location: Southport Botanic Gardens.

Date: Saturday 10th May Time: 1.00pm – 3.00pm

Location: Coronation Park, Crosby.

There will be limited quantities of bagged compost available for residents.

St Helens

Date: Saturday 10th May Time: 10.00am

Location: Clockface Colliery Open Space, Gorsey Lane, St. Helens

Spades will be provided to collect loose compost, but residents will need to bring their own bags.

Wirral

Date: Saturday 10th May Time: 9.00am – 1.00pm

Location: Wirral Farmers Market, New Ferry.

Wirral Council are hosting a compost awareness event and will be giving away kitchen caddies (limited stocks).

Home Composting is a simple and cheap way of dealing with up to a third of a typical family’s waste bin, and it is a brilliant way to help the environment.

When organic garden and food waste is sent to landfill, it is crushed beneath large amounts of other household waste. This means there isn’t any oxygen present when it breaks down, so it produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. By composting at home, waste such as fruit and vegetable peelings can break down in an oxygenated environment so no methane is produced. This also creates a rich fertilizer for the garden which completes the natural cycle and keeps waste out of landfill.

And it’s not just fruit and vegetable peelings that you can compost – toilet roll tubes, coffee grounds, tea bags, and egg boxes will all add nutrients to the mix. Almost anything organic can be composted, from shredded confidential documents and scrunched up cereal boxes to grass cuttings. All this waste breaks down naturally to create a free product that can be used to keep plants and gardens looking green and beautiful – and it even helps the soil to retain moisture, which is particularly good news during the hot summer months.

Caring for the environment by home composting is such a simple and effective way of making a difference that celebrities such as Helen Mirren, Jenny Seagrove, Chris Evans and June Sarpong are all adding their active support and committing to compost at home.

This Compost Awareness Week, BBC presenter Philippa Forrester is backing the campaign to make sure that waste is recycled at home rather than ending up on landfill sites. She comments: “With three young children, I’ve never been more aware of the impact we make on the environment and the responsibility of bringing future generations into a world that we can really be proud of.

“Composting at home is just one small step towards making sure that we minimise the amount of waste we create, but if everybody gets involved then it makes a huge difference.”

Anyone living in Merseyside or Halton who places an order from the 4th – 10th May 2008 will be entered into the free prize draw to win £50 of garden centre vouchers, which have been donated by DHL, the logistics company that deliver the bins.

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